Disclosed herein are methods, apparatus and kits to modify natural feathers that are used in sporting goods. Some of the sporting goods that use natural feathers are shuttlecocks, arrow fletchings, and dart. The methods disclosed herein impart structural stability and durability to natural feathers, thereby improving the life span of the sporting goods.
In 160 countries, more than 14 million people play shuttle badminton competitively. In the USA, more than a million players regularly play shuttle badminton. Natural feather shuttlecocks, that are the projectiles used to play the game, are delicate and easily become deformed and also break, affecting the progress of the game. The use of several natural feather shuttlecocks even to finish just one game also makes the sport very expensive. As a result, cheaper plastic shuttlecocks are used in place of natural feather shuttlecocks. However, since they are not equivalent to natural feather shuttlecocks in feel and flight characteristics, they are not used in professional tournaments.
During games, shuttlecocks with broken or deformed feathers, or those that have lost their structural integrity display altered flight characteristics and thereby affect the progress of the games. Even in the event of obvious deformation or damage to feather shuttlecocks in the middle of a play, the rules of the game demand that play continue until one player or side scores a point. The feather shuttlecocks currently used in badminton have limited structural stability, flight consistency and durability. Therefore, there is a great need for natural feather shuttlecocks that are long lasting and have higher structural stability, mechanical stability, increased durability and reliability as well as consistent flight characteristics.
In archery and bow hunting, the speed and accuracy for an arrow is provided by fletching the arrow. Fletching is typically defined as the feather-like appendages on an arrow or the arrangement of such appendages. Fletching typically includes three or four feathers or vanes which may be mounted helically along the arrow shaft to promote spinning of the arrow during flight. Feathers are very light and, when used for fletching, help provide greater speed to an arrow than do the heavier plastic fletching. Such feather fletching equipped arrows, due to their lighter weight, are faster at greater distances and thereby more accurate farther down range. Feathers, however, do have some disadvantages. Feathers are very delicate and damage easily due to rough treatment. When damaged, feathers cannot be repaired, but rather must be completely replaced. Such replacement can be expensive, difficult and time consuming. Therefore, there is a great need for natural feather fletching that are long lasting and have higher structural stability, and mechanical stability.